


Me and the Newsman Down in the Old Church

by sanstexte (orphan_account)



Category: Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Genre: 1970s, Ambiguous Relationship, Gen, Interview
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 20:59:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sanstexte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're in newspapers all over the county. The two young men who raised a stir one fall morning take the time to talk to a journalist.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Me and the Newsman Down in the Old Church

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cristin Anne (ladysorka)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladysorka/gifts).



"You ever wake up with that feeling things ain't gonna go exactly so perfect?"

The newsman gave me a big grin "Maybe, care to explain?"

Over in the corner, the priest was just sitting pretty and listening to everything. He'd gone and got me and Julio released and now he'd gone and set up for that newsman to visit. We hadn't even been out an hour and some greased up suit was knocking on the church door and asking a bunch of questions. Julio ain't all that big on words and he certainly wasn't gonna talk to no strangers so I had to go do it myself. I didn't really wanna shame Mama any more than she thought she was, but her and Pa caused this whole mess so I didn't have no other choice. Best to tell the truth, ain't never nothing wrong with the truth, me and Julio hadn't done nothing wrong. People were gonna have to learn that.

And the priest had said the newsman was gonna do that for us.

"Friday, the day before Mama found us hadn't been a good day" I told him, "so me and Julio went down to Rosie's Bar for some drinks."

"Exactly how old are the two of you?"

"18 and 17. Rosie don't mind if we don't do nothing stupid and pay for our drinks. Lotsa neighbourhood kids drink there, folks ain't got no problem with that."

"I see. Go on."

"It'd been a bad day, and we're laughing and getting all relaxed drinking some Corona. Like we always do. 'Cept this time we done drank a little too much. We don't realize it 'til later, the next day even. But at some point we'd left the bar and were back at my place. Guess we fell asleep all drunk-like and Mama came in for something and went all crazy thinking we gone and done something illegal."

"So you're saying the sodomy charges are false then?"

"Who knows if they are? I told you, Me and Julio had lots to drink. I'd be lying if I said I remember much if anything 'bout that night after Rosie's. 'Sides even if we did go and do something like that, it ain't nobody's business. I don't see why I gotta tell people what I do when they ain't looking. The priest over there said it ain't against the law in some of them other States and they're even fighting about it here. What goes on behind locked doors ought stay private."

"Even if you're not sure what happened?"

"Julio don't care, and me neither. If we start worrying or remembering stuff then we're gonna talk. Right now we ain't got no reason to talk 'bout what happened 'cause we don't remember nothing. I don't see why the whole town gotta be trying to do it for us."

"Interesting point of view. Would you care to tell the readers what happened when you were in the town jail?"

"Ain't much to tell. Sheriff said we was gonna have a trial soon and we was either gonna have to pay a lot money or go to jail. Pa came by a few times, cussing and yelling, but Pa does that all the time. Ain't much about him that changed other than his words to Julio over there and saying I gone and shamed them for the last time. Sheriff finally done gone and kicked him out when he tried to belt us through the bars."

"Your father attempted to punish you while you were locked behind bars?"

"He definitely wasn't thinking right, ain't no way that paddle could've held up against them bars they were so strong. 'Sides, Pa got a temper and he wanted to do the punishing himself. He ain't never really believed the Sheriff was any good."

"I see. That's a little strange on his part, but if you say that's normal for him..." the newsman looked back down at his papers, I guess he forgot what he wanted to ask next. "If I may ask, was it your mother's idea for you to go to jail?"

"Naw, see I don't think that was what Ma wanted. She don't like Julio, but I'd gotta be lying if I said she wanted me in jail. I done think she was calling to get rid of him, maybe teach me some kind of lesson but when the sheriff came we set him straight. 'Cept he didn't believe us and said we was being sinful and that lying ain't gonna do us no good. We just better admit we done what Mama saw. And we better do it soon."

"So you admitted to something you didn't do?"

"Naw. We stuck with our story, with what happened. Me and Julio may be lots of things, but we ain't liars."

"So was that when the priest got involved? How did you go about getting him to help you?"

"See, I guess the town newspaper done found out. Folk talk, and that's the sort of thing Suzie from the paper loves. I didn't see no paper, but I bet Suzie the reporter put it on the front page in real big letters. Back in May, we all found out about Annie May and that Suzie done put out a big article about everything that poor little girl ever did. And I don't think half of it was even true. Annie May and her family were so shamed they left town and ain't never came back since."

The newsman nodded and turned to the priest. "Did you find out via the paper, Father?"

Since the newsman didn't seem to want to talk to me no more, I looked over at Julio. He was sleeping. All this talking was wearing him out. I didn't blame him, talking to a newsman wasn't very exciting. I was thinking I'd have to stop talking just to get some quiet 'round here. but if the priest was right this newsman was going to get us free. And when that happened me and Julio were gonna get on with our lives. Maybe go to Mexico. Julio done had some cousins there, and I had heard the beer was even better. The priest'd already said he'd help us go where we want, so I figured I was gonna tell him about it after the newsman went.

The newsman had got enough answers from the priest so he decided to pay attention to me again. And he was grinning. I was starting to think all that guy did was grin and ask questions. "So when Father Daniels came to get you out, there was some trouble. Is that correct?"

"Yeah " I shrugged. "The Sheriff didn't want us to leave, but the whole town was talking 'bout it and Father Daniels knows a lot of folk. And he knows about folks rights and stuff like that. The Sheriff was none to pleased but he had to let the Father take us out of there. When we left there was all kinds of folk outside. Some of 'em were angry about us getting out but some folk was even going on about how we shouldn't done even been in there."

"So the town is very split on this? What does that mean for you and Julio? Either as friends, or just as citizens?"

"It ain't mean much. Me and Julio are still gonna be friends and if the town's got any problem with that then we sure as hell ain't gonna stay here no more. We'll move somewhere else and they can all worry about what we done do and don't do. It don't matter 'cause Julio and me'll be gone."

"I see. Don't you find it sad that the town has driven you out?"

"If you wanna see it like that. I didn't even know if I wanted to stay there anyhow. Now I got me a better excuse and Mama can't say no."

The newsman took another and this time last look at his notes. "Well this was quite an interesting turn of events. Is there anything else you want the country to know?"

"I think I said everything that needs to be said." I looked over at Julio noticing he was awake. "You got anything, Julio?"

Julio done shook his head and yawned.

The newsman smiled back at us and closed up his book of notes. "You and your friends are going to be quite the article. My photographer Richard is outside. Can you, Julio and Father Daniels all sit together? We want a picture of you all for the article."

We all didn't see why not so we all said yes. Before the newsman went outside to get his photoman, the Priest had to go ask when we'd be seeing the article.

The newsman gave us the biggest smile yet and ain't said more than "You should be able to read the article in the upcoming Newsweek."

I had a feeling Mexico was gonna have to wait. Things were 'bout to get big.


End file.
